


So Many Questions

by HouseElfMagic



Category: Captain America (Movies), Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Spider-Man (Comicverse), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Awkwardness, Gen, Identity Reveal, M/M, Pre-Slash, Secret Identity, could be read as gen - Freeform, references to Tony Stark's B.A.R.F. tech, spideytorch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 16:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11535810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HouseElfMagic/pseuds/HouseElfMagic
Summary: Johnny was a persistent bastard, Peter decided.Johnny always pestered him about his identity. To be fair, Johnny wasn’t overly familiar with the concept. He’d been well-known even before the whole space-trip-powers thing, so Peter got it, the not understanding secret identities thing.But he hadn’t expected Johnny to be so...infuriatingabout it.“What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?” It was things like this that enamored Peter to Johnny and also made him hate him with a fiery passion.“Lucky charms.”“Huh, I pegged you as a FruitLoops kinda guy.”...Identity reveal with lots of feelings





	So Many Questions

Johnny was a persistent bastard, Peter decided.

Johnny always pestered him about his identity. To be fair, Johnny wasn’t overly familiar with the concept. He’d been well-known even before the whole space-trip-powers thing, so Peter got it, the not understanding secret identities thing.

But he hadn’t expected Johnny to be so... _infuriating_ about it.

“What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?” It was things like this that enamored Peter to Johnny and also made him hate him with a fiery passion.

“Lucky charms.”

“Huh, I pegged you as a FruitLoops kinda guy.” Johnny was accepting the lack of identity reveal with as much grace as Peter could honestly expect out of him. But in return he wanted to know _every_ non-compromising aspect of his identity. Every time-- _every damn time_ they would see each other, even in the middle of a battle, Johnny made sure to ask one of his questions. 

“Hey, Spidey, what’s your favorite movie?”

“Prequels or no?”

“Any pets?”

“Hey, Webhead, what’s your shampoo brand?”

It was infuriating. Because yes, this was Johnny trying to get to know him through the little details, but “boxers, briefs, or nothing at all?” was pushing Peter’s patience a little too much. Johnny wasn’t trying to be annoying per se (Peter hoped), but Peter honestly didn’t get some of Johnny’s questions. _Why_ would he need to know what shampoo Peter used?!

Peter liked Johnny. He did. But Johnny was... Johnny.

MJ thought it was cute. She said she thought Johnny was _flirting_ or something. As if.

Johnny may go for girls, guys, and unidentified space genders, but Peter knew Johnny’s flirting style more than he cared to admit. Hell, he’d bantered with Johnny enough that they’d been accused of flirting more than once.

MJ might have thought she had the answer, but Peter knew it was wrong. That left him wondering just what Johnny thought he was doing. Why he was being so persistent and annoying. Peter wasn’t some kind of puzzle to solve; he was a person honestly a little unnerved by his bff (best-fighting-friend) wanting to know every little detail about his life. What did it matter what TV he liked? Or who his favorite superhero was? (Johnny could never know about that time he dressed up as Iron Man when he was eight.) Why did Johnny bother asking?

After weeks of harassment, Peter was fed up and wanted answers.

 

They were on the Statue of Liberty again. The torch part might have been closed to the public, but they took other routes up, so they tended to use it as their spot. Besides, Johnny loved the pun of it: _the torch on the torch!_

Johnny was such a dork sometimes, and Peter loved it. But he didn’t love all the questions.

He took a frustrated bite out of his slice of pepperoni pizza. Now, how to form words. He swallowed.

“Hey, Flamebrain?”

“Yeah, Spidey?”

“Why do you keep asking all those questions? Like _every single time_ we hang out?”

“I dunno. Just want to get to know you, I guess. And since I can’t really do it the normal way with the mask, I figured... all the little stuff adds up, right? They’re half of what make up a person, so if I can’t get the big stuff, I’ll add up all the little stuff until I can truly say I know my best friend.”

“Best fighting friend.” Peter corrected.

“Yeah, that.” Johnny rolled his eyes.

“You’ve been... really persistent about that, though? Like... my friend even thought you were _flirting_ or something...”

Johnny snorted.

“That’s what I said!” Peter agreed. “I guess I just want to know why you only ask the superficial questions. Like you ask about what music I like, but not what I think of the MRA. Or if I have a plan for a career in life, or--”

“Spidey, despite what you may think, I _do_ pay attention when you talk. I already know most of that stuff. Your stance on the MRA is pretty clear already, and I already know you wanna ‘science’ when you get older, maybe teach. You love teaching people stuff. I guess I’m just trying to get the whole picture with what pieces I have.”

“The whole picture?” A pause. “You mean my identity?”

“No, Webhead, don’t be a dick. I said I wouldn’t pry into that, and I meant it. I just mean... I dunno. What makes you tick, ya know?”

“I... guess...?” Johnny let out a frustrated breath that fogged the air in front of him.

“I just want to get to know you. I _do_ like you, bro. You’re my best friend, and you don’t treat me like an idiot or a celebrity or whatever. You just... make me happy, I guess.”

“Awww, broooooo--”

“Don’t ruin it.”

“‘Kay.” Another pause filled the air, this one filled with thoughts struggling to be put into words. Finally, Peter broke it.

“You’re my best friend too, you know. I trust you with my life. I’d trust you with _everything_. It’s not trust that’s the problem. I’m just... I guess I’m scared. Scared of the future and of not living up to ‘Spider-Man’ when I’m just myself and of my au-- _family_ getting hurt, I just--”

“I know. Sometimes it’s frustrating as hell, but I know. I trust you too, Spidey. With my family, my secrets. Everything. But I know it’s different for you. _I get it.”_

“Johnny, just... _listen,_ okay?... I’m scared. Because I can’t tell the future, don’t know what’ll happen ten years from now or even tonight. But a friend told me about living your life with regrets. How it’ll kill you from the inside to have wanted to say something important and you just... missed your opportunity. He also taught me about taking chances, putting your faith out there with no clear path ahead of you. Of having faith in others when you’ve been burned before.” Johnny sat silently, staring at Peter and Peter dragged his eyes back to Johnny, not having realized that he’d glanced away.

Peter inhaled unsteadily and reached a hand slowly to the back of his mask.

“Wait!” Johnny yelled. Peter stopped breathing for a moment and his arm went slack.

“Don’t think that--that you have to do this or something, okay? It’s not like a requirement for our friendship or something. If you’re not... ready--”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be. But I think it’s time I put a little faith, a little hope out in that nebulous future.” Peter swallowed and tugged his mask off and put it slowly in his lap before looking up.

“My name’s Peter. Peter Parker. I live with my aunt in Queens, and I was bitten by a radioactive spider when I was fifteen.” Johnny wasn’t saying anything. His mouth was hanging open but words weren’t coming out until--

“Holy shit, you’re hot.”

And without the mask, Peter’s bright red flush couldn’t be hidden. He swallowed a few times before he could get his voice to work right.

“Uh, I think that’s my line, Mr. I-Can-Set-Myself-On-Fire.” Johnny blinked a few more times as though to wake up.

“Okay, I’m back online.”

“What--”

“I’m still processing, shhhh.” A pause. “Peter.”

“What?”

“I’m just trying it out. _Peter_.” Johnny smiled. “I like it.”

**Author's Note:**

> The friend Peter's referring to is Tony Stark, especially relating to the B.A.R.F. tech show at MIT (that Peter presumably saw streamed and talked to Mr. Stark about it).  
> The MRA is the Mutant Registration Act that I'm not personally familiar with, so I left Peter's thoughts on it purposefully vague. This fic's not about that, so please don't ask what I think he'd choose or anything.
> 
> I just wanted to write a cutesy identity reveal or something. Instead this happened, but I think this is better so. Yay.
> 
> Comments inspire more writing *hint hint*  
> (But before you ask, yes this is a ONESHOT and will remain such)


End file.
